A Dangerous Game
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Atem finds himself in a warehouse with no way out. To win the game is a test of will.


Pain was radiating down his entire right arm in short bursts. Sweat had since poured from his brow and down the sides of his face, his teeth clenched so hard that they were beginning to hurt too. Every now and again he'd try and point his toes to try and get back on them but it was fruitless every time. He didn't have enough energy to keep from swaying at the same time and in the end it would only lead him to fall and tug harder on the arm being raised by the wrist in the air.

He had thought by now his arm would have gone numb at least. It had to have been hours since this torture had begun. He'd lost track of time, though. Concentrating on the pain was one way to keep his mind here. At one point he'd wanted to drift off and set his mind aside from his physical presence. It would have done him no good in the long run to let himself doze like that.

"Give up."

The grip on his wrist tightened as the voice filtered into his thoughts.

"_Tch_." A harsh exhale as he tried, and failed, to pull his wrist yet again. "You don't know whom you're dealing with."

A silence set into the room for another few minutes. Atem wasn't bothered with it. Somehow silence was easier to deal with than some unknown presence hovering over and trapping you. It was worse when he was being picked on. He was slowly losing his resolve after being here for such a long time. Another wave of pain caught him off guard suddenly as the grip around his wrist dug in deeper, drawing blood that flowed all the way down over his skin. He made no noise of pain.

"I know all about you- Pharaoh of Egypt. King of Games. Supposed savior of the world." There was no real tone of voice here. He couldn't tell who was speaking to him or from where. Worst of all he couldn't say who it was.

That was bad when whoever this was apparently knew of his past. He didn't let any sort of upset or shock show on his face however. "You know nothing."

"I know that you're treating this like a game. Trying to find a way to win. But you won't." The voice sounded closer that time.

He closed his eyes as if letting it come nearer hadn't bothered him in the slightest. There was nothing he could do, anyway. "Oh I will." He would. There was no way he'd die here, that was for sure.

A cold chill settled up his spine and between his shoulder blades, almost as if a hand had run over him and stopped abruptly. "Perhaps had you still been with Yuugi. You were always so shy about using his body to do much of anything, much less hurt it."

Atem let a moment go by before smirking. "Too little too late." He and Yuugi were separate now. He'd do whatever it took to get out of here and that included maiming himself. The voice had been right, though. If he was bonded with Yuugi still he would have tried to duck out of this quicker, not wanting to harm him. None of that mattered now.

The pressure on his back moved to his shoulder and then wrapped lightly around his throat. He held his breath. "If you die here..."

"Not happening." Despite the strain in his voice it sounded confident and sure.

It was then that whatever had been holding his wrist became tangible. No longer a phantom force suspending him in the air. Chains, he felt chains wrapped around his wrist. Crimson eyes opened sharply to see the links connected high up to the ceiling above. His hand wrapped around, fingers grabbing as he raised his opposite arm. A slow climb began. It was hard, his body was exhausted and screaming in pain but he kept moving.

Eventually he reached the rafter he'd been tied to and pulled himself over it, settling his legs on both sides. His hands splayed out on the cool metal before he looked at them. Bruised and burnt, almost as if the metal he'd been touching had been dipped in fire beforehand. He shook his head, looking around before bringing his attention back to the chains still around his wrist. Pulling at them proved nothing at all.

At one point he'd jarred his arm so bad that he realized the loop around the beam he was sitting on was loose. He dragged the chains with him as he tried moving to the left side of the room. The door was there, but it was too far out of his reach, even if he'd been able to make it to the floor. He already knew though that even if he climbed back down he wouldn't be able to touch the floor. He searched the wall again looking for anything, something to help him.

A small, red, square box sat just a few feet from the door.

"Fire alarm..."

It would be just enough. They were connected to the fire department or something, at least that's what he thought he remembered. If he got down there and hit it someone would show up eventually. Slowly he tried climbing back down, muscles burning yet again in protest as he had to hold his entire weight in his already tired arms as he lowered himself.

That pressure came back, curling in his lower back, causing him to pause. His arms shook as his eyes closed again.

"You're my favorite toy, you know." The voice whispered right in his ear.

"You're deluded." He didn't belong to anyone. And he certainly was not a toy.

A chilling breath rolled across the side of his face. "Perhaps."

The pressure traveled back up between his shoulders before piercing right through him. He felt something penetrate his skin, moving forward inside him and striking out through his chest. It was enough of a shock that he let go of the chain, plummeting to the floor. It snapped his arm up as the end of the line was reached, yanking it right out of the socket. A soft cry of immediate pain sounded in the air before his consciousness begun to fade. He dangled just above the floor, limp.

Slowly his head rose, shaking with every ounce of pain and effort. His free hand raised slowly, fingers pressing against the glass that hid the button from being easily pressed. With the last bit of determination he had in his entire being he bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, bringing his hand back and slamming it through the glass with enough force to break the glass and hit the button. Alarms sounded off as a rainstorm dropped from above.

His head dropped again, hair already drooping forward with the weight of the water. It made his feel that much heavier and obscured whatever vision he might have had left. Darkness was circling around the edges of his awareness. Before he decided to finally let go, however, he smirked to himself.

"I win."

Silence. He thought he'd long since fallen unconscious by now. But somewhere he heard- "I concede. You won this game."

Of course he had.


End file.
